Conventionally, a stapler is used when simply binding a stack of papers. However, when recycling the papers bound with staples made of metal lines, the mixed staples needs to be removed. Also when disposing such a stack of stapled papers, it is preferable to separate the staples from the papers in view of environmental protection. Nevertheless, extra time and labor is required for such a separating work.
As a proposal for dispensing with such time and labor, there a binding apparatus which binds a stack of papers by a paper made adhesive tape in stead of a metal staple (see, e.g., JP-A-8-039959 and JP-A-10-000871). The binding apparatus uses a paper made adhesive tape roll, and includes a slider having a clamp plate for clamping papers and a lift type cutter portion above a paper table which is similar to a general desktop stapler.
The paper made adhesive tape roll includes a predetermined length (a length used in a single binding operation) of paper made adhesive tapes and a release tape on which the paper made adhesive tapes are continuously stuck. A front end portion of the adhesive tape is set such that it is erected from a lower side of the paper table to an upper side, and such that an adhering face thereof is opposed to an end face of the stack of sheets of paper placed on the paper table.
When an edge portion of the stack of papers is held by the clamp plate of the slider, and then the slider and the stack of papers are slid toward a front side, the end face of the stack of papers is comes into contact with the adhering face of the adhesive tape.
Next, when the cutter portion is moved down, a pressing member integral with the cutter portion presses a front end portion of the adhesive tape to an upper face of the edge portion of the stack of papers, and a blade of the cutter portion penetrates through a vicinity of the edge portion of the stack of papers from the upper side to the lower side.
Further, by pressing the adhesive tape with a front end of the blade, a rear portion of the adhesive tape for the first single binding is released from the release paper. A rectangular hole is formed near the front end of the blade, and the released rear portion end of the adhesive tape moves into the rectangular hole by an elastic recovery force. Accordingly, the released rear end of the adhesive tape is brought into a state of penetrating the blade in a front and rear direction.
Subsequently, when the cutter portion is released from being pressed manually, the cutter portion moves up by a spring, thereby pulling up the rear portion of the adhesive tape caught by the blade through a cut hole of the stack of papers and to an upper face side of the stack of papers along with the blade. When the blade moves up further, the rear portion of the adhesive tape is drawn from the rectangular hole of the blade, and the rear portion of the adhesive tape is erected.
Finally, when the slider and the stack of papers are moved back, the rear portion of the adhesive tape is squeezed by a roller arranged above the paper table, and the rear portion of the adhesive tape is adhered on top of the front end portion of the adhesive tape which has already been stuck to the stack of papers, thereby finishing the binding process.
However, according to such binding apparatuses using the paper made adhesive tape, one binding process is carried out by holding and sliding the papers with the clamp plate of the slider toward the front side, moving down the cutter portion, and thereafter, sliding the slider and the papers to a rear side. Accordingly, a number of operating steps is required, and therefore, improvements should be made in terms of operability and swiftness.
Further, one side of the adhesive tape is provided with an adhesive layer on an entire face thereof so that the adhesive tape is stuck on a surface of the papers. Therefore, there is another problem in that, when unbinding the stack of stapled papers, it is difficult to release the adhesive tape without damaging the papers.